


Best Friends Forever

by Anonymous



Category: Glee
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Lovers to Friends, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-29
Updated: 2016-06-29
Packaged: 2018-07-19 01:20:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 17,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7338775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fill for a prompt in the Glee Prompt Meme. Kurt and Mike are best friends and boyfriends. They decide that the boyfriend part just isn't working out. At Kurt's insistence, Mike and Tina start dating. Kurt and Blaine insist they are just friends, but after a bit of prodding from Mike and Tina, Kurt and Blaine start dating, too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [GleePromptMeme](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/GleePromptMeme) collection. 



> I hope I'm doing this right. This is my first submission on this site. Please let me know if I'm doing it wrong.  
> I saw this prompt (on tumblr) and the idea jumped into my head almost immediately. I don't even remember how long ago it's been now and I feel terrible for taking so long. This didn't end up exactly the way I'd pictured and I struggled with bits of it, but I hope that it's worth the wait.
> 
>  
> 
> **Prompt:**
> 
>  
> 
> Mike (or Elliott) and Kurt start out as boyfriends, maybe they’ve been together for a while, maybe they live together? They do love each other, but after a while they figure out that they're better off as friends instead of boyfriends. They have a completely amicable break up and decide to stay friends. (Maybe a bit like in You've Got Mail, when Frank breaks up with Kathleen.)
> 
> Mike (or Elliott) figures out Kurt has a crush on Blaine and decides to do his best to have the two of them end up together.
> 
> I'd love to see a bit of the Mike/Kurt or Kelliott relationship in the beginning, but I definitely do want Klaine endgame, with Kurt and his ex staying good friends throughout the fic. Maybe, if it's Mike, he develops a crush on Blaine's roommate Tina? Or maybe if it's Elliott, Blaine is really good friends with Mike and in the end Mike and Elliott get together too?
> 
> Tl;dr: First Kurt is together with either Mike or Elliott, they break up amicably and his ex-boyfriend helps him get together with Blaine.

“Hey, babe,” Mike called as he walked into the apartment and hung his coat in the closet.

Kurt turned and smiled. “Welcome home,” he said as Mike kissed his cheek. “I hope you’re hungry. I’ve been working on this all afternoon.” He chuckled as he opened the take-out containers.

Mike chuckled softly and said, “Smells amazing. I can’t wait.”

“Good. Go clean up and I’ll get everything ready.” Kurt gave Mike a quick peck on the lips before turning back toward the counter to plate the food.

When Mike returned, they sat down to eat. They made small talk, discussing their day and talking about the upcoming weekend. “If you want, I can drive so you can, you know, have a good time or whatever.”

Kurt smiled. “It’s not like I can’t have a good time without alcohol.”

“I know that. We usually do. I figure you deserve to let loose, though. You’ve been working so hard on your latest project.”

With a shrug, Kurt said, “I’m so exhausted that if I drink anything I’ll probably pass out.”

Mike smiled. “Just know that the option is there. Besides, if you’re that tired you shouldn’t be driving. So it all works out.”

Kurt squeezed Mike’s hand and smiled. “And that’s why I keep you around.”

“Oh, really?” Mike smirked. “I thought it was for my amazing wit. And because I’m so good in bed.” He waggled his eyebrows and chuckled.

With a laugh, Kurt said, “I suppose both of those are also true.” His eyes sparkled as he said, “Speaking of bed...”

“Don’t even finish that thought. You just got done talking about how exhausted you are. The only thing you’ll be doing in bed is sleeping.”

Kurt’s smile faded a little. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but that’s all we’ve done lately. Is everything okay?”

Mike nodded. “Of course. You’ve been so focused on work and I didn’t want to distract you.”

“Is there someone else?” Kurt asked softly.

Mike’s eyes widened. “No! Of course not. I would never...”

“It...It’s okay if there is. I feel like...” Kurt let out a sigh, trying to gather his thoughts. “Like we’re growing apart. I’ve loved you so much and for so long and now...I still love you, but I feel like maybe I’m not _in love_ with you anymore. I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

With a sigh of relief, Mike said, “Don’t be sorry. I’ve been feeling the same way. I didn’t want to hurt you because I _do_ love you, Kurt.”

Kurt smiled. “I love you, too,” he said softly. “But I think we’d be better off as just friends.”

Mike nodded. “I think you’re right. I meant it when I said there’s nobody else, but I have kind of developed a bit of a crush.”

“Oh, really?” Mike nodded and smiled shyly. “Anybody I know?”

“You’re going to think this is stupid, but um, you know Blaine’s roommate?”

Kurt thought for a moment. “Sam? Isn’t he dating that one girl? Porsche, Shelby...”

“Mercedes,” Mike supplied.

“Right. I knew it was a car.”

Mike nodded. “He is. Engaged, actually. I wasn’t talking about Sam, though.”

Kurt raised an eyebrow. “Tina? I didn’t think she was your type.”

With a shrug, Mike said, “For the last five years, my type was you. You knew when we got together that I’m bi.”

“I have to admit that I’m a little bit jealous,” Kurt teased.

Mike laughed. “You shouldn’t be. I’ve never acted on it. And I never would as long as we’re together. I’m sure you’ve had crushes since we’ve gotten together.”

Kurt snorted out a laugh. “Yeah, celebrity crushes. Not people that I know.”

“Come on, now. Be honest. I know you better than that. There have been a few along the way.”

“Maybe one or two,” Kurt admitted.

Mike grinned. “Anybody now?”

Kurt rolled his eyes and shook his head. “No. Not yet.” He sighed. “It’s going to be tough jumping back into the dating pool. We’ve known each other so long that it’s like this just came naturally. Being together was the obvious next step for us. I don’t know that I’ll ever find that again.”

Frowning, Mike said, “Of course you will. You’ll find someone and you’ll have your happily ever after.”

“I’m not saying I won’t. I’m saying, what we have...it’s not something that comes along very often. I’ll treasure it, always.”

Mike sighed and Kurt could see tears starting to well up in his eyes. “So, we’re really doing this?”

Kurt nodded and blinked back his own tears. “I think it’s for the best. I don’t want us to keep going and end up resenting each other. I want us to stay best friends. I want to be able to continue telling you that I love you. And I want to be able to say it and not have it be misconstrued and twisted into something that it’s not. Because I do love you, Mike, and I always will.”

“God, Kurt,” Mike breathed. “I’m not sure I know how to do this.”

Kurt smirked. “Well, for starters, we can’t share a bed anymore.”

Mike laughed. “How do we decide who gets which room?”

“I’ll take the guest room. The beds are the same, so it shouldn’t be a difficult transition. Sure the room itself is a little smaller, but it’s big enough.”

“Are you sure you don’t want the master? It has a bigger closet. And an attached bathroom.”

Kurt shook his head. “I never thought I’d turn down extra closet space, but no. Most of the stuff in the guest room was mine anyway.” They sat, simply looking at one another for a long time before Kurt said, “I think I’m going to go to bed.”

Mike nodded. “You should. Get some rest. I’ll clean up.” Kurt smiled and got up, kissing Mike softly before walking out of the kitchen. When Mike went to bed, he expected to find the room empty. To his surprise, Kurt was curled up in his normal spot. Mike chuckled and went into the bathroom to change into his pajamas. 

When he returned, Kurt had shifted and the sheet had slipped, revealing an expanse of creamy, smooth skin. Mike shook his head to clear his thoughts, and gently pulled the sheet so that it was covering Kurt again before turning to leave. Kurt’s eyes opened and he smiled. “I wondered how long it would take you to come to bed.”

Mike turned back to face Kurt. “I thought you were taking the guest room.”

“Mm. I’m not ready yet. One more night in here,” Kurt pouted.

Mike chuckled and nodded. “Okay. One more and then you’re out,” he teased. Kurt grabbed Mike’s hand to pull him into bed, but Mike stopped him. “You’re not wearing any pajamas, Kurt.”

“That’s kind of the point. And you should get rid of these,” Kurt said, tugging at the waistband of Mike’s pajama pants. “Makes it easier to blow you when there’s nothing in the way.”

“Kurt,” Mike protested, pushing Kurt’s hands away. “We can’t be one of _those_ couples.”

Kurt frowned. “What do you mean?” he asked, reaching for Mike’s waistband again.

Mike sighed and grabbed Kurt’s hands in his own. “We can’t say we’re broken up, but keep jumping into bed together.”

“We’re not officially broken up. Check Facebook if you don’t believe me,” he joked. “Look, let’s just be us for one more night. If we’re making the choice to part as friends, shouldn’t we get the opportunity to have one last hurrah?”

Mike shook his head. “We said we weren’t doing this.”

“ _You_ said we weren’t doing this because I was too tired. I’m saying I’m not too tired and I want to be with you one more time.”

“I want that, too, Kurt, but don’t you think it will make things more confusing or awkward or something?”

Kurt shook his head. “It doesn’t have to. We agree that this is it and then we move on.” He paused and then murmured, “If you don’t want to, it’s okay.”

“No,” Mike breathed. “I do want to. I just don’t want it to end up making things...weird between us.”

Kurt smiled softly. “We’ll be fine.” Pulling his hands away from Mike’s and tugging once more at Mike’s waistband, he said, “Now, come here.”

Mike smiled and climbed into bed, pulling Kurt into his arms. “I guess one more time couldn’t hurt.”

One more time turned into three and afterward, Kurt smiled tiredly. “I can’t believe I’m willingly letting this go.”

“Mm. Such a shame,” Mike mumbled in agreement, stroking a hand down Kurt’s side.

“Look who’s tired now,” Kurt murmured, nuzzling Mike’s nose.

Mike chuckled. “Someone couldn’t stop at just one more.”

“Can you blame me? I mean, look at you.” Kurt grinned and said, “And I didn’t hear you complaining?”

Mike shook his head. “I’d have to be stupid to say no to you.”

Kurt chuckled and they lay there, tangled together, for a few more minutes. He looked into Mike’s eyes and said, “What would you say if I asked for one more?”

Mike laughed and leaned in, kissing Kurt softly. “Good thing we don’t have to work tomorrow.”


	2. Chapter 2

“You sure you still want to go?” Mike asked from where he was leaning against the doorframe.

Kurt checked his hair and his clothes in the mirror one last time before turning to Mike and saying, “Absolutely. Why wouldn’t I?”

Mike shrugged. “This will be the first time we go somewhere together that we’re not _together_.”

“It has to happen some time,” Kurt said with a shrug. Cocking his head, he asked, “Are you sure _you’re_ okay with this? Because I thought we were on the same page, but...”

Mike rolled his eyes and cut Kurt off. “Yes. I’m fine. I just worry about you.” Kurt opened his mouth to speak and Mike stopped him. “Don’t tell me I shouldn’t. I always have and I always will.”

Kurt smiled and pulled Mike into a hug. “Don’t ever change.” When he stepped back, he asked, “Are you ready?” Mike nodded. “Then let’s go break some hearts.”

Mike laughed. “It’s not like we’re going to a club. We’re going to a friend’s place.”

“Maybe I’m hoping to get lucky. Love ‘em and leave ‘em. That’s what I say.”

“Come on, Romeo,” Mike said, grabbing Kurt’s hand and pulling him toward the door.

When they got to their friends’ apartment, Kurt headed to the kitchen to make himself a drink and Mike followed. “Why don’t you go talk to Tina?”

“Really, Kurt? I can’t just... _talk_ to her.”

“Why not? You’re friends.” Kurt bumped his hip against Mike’s and smiled. “Unless you’re scared to talk to her?” he teased.

Mike scoffed. “I’m not _scared_.”

Kurt handed him a glass and said, “Here you go. Liquid courage. Go get ‘em.” He kissed Mike’s cheek and walked out of the room. Finding an empty spot on the couch, he sat down, preparing to take part in one of his favorite activities, people-watching.

Almost immediately, Blaine plopped down beside Kurt. “Hey,” he said with a bright smile.

“Hi,” Kurt greeted with a matching smile. “How are things?”

Blaine’s smile grew. “Great. It’s busy, but the kids are great. It’s way better than the last school I was at.”

“That’s awesome. I know you were worried about it.”

Blaine nodded and shrugged. “I guess all my fears were unfounded. I was afraid the staff would be cliquey and annoying, but they’re really nice.”

“What a relief.”

Blaine laughed. “Yeah, really. What about you? How’s that big project going?”

Kurt grinned. “Done, actually. Just finished yesterday.”

“Yeah? How’d it turn out?” Blaine asked, genuinely interested.

Kurt rolled his eyes playfully. “Perfect, of course. Do you think I’d settle for any less?”

Blaine laughed. “No. Not at all.” They looked around, taking in all the people. “Boy trouble?” Blaine asked, nudging Kurt’s shoulder and nodding toward Mike and Tina.

Kurt shook his head and smiled. “It’s all good. We, uh, well, we broke up last night.”

Blaine’s eyes widened. “No way. Is everything okay?”

Kurt nodded. “Everything’s great.”

“You’re not just saying that because you don’t want to talk to me, are you?”

“No. Of course not. We had a long talk and decided that it would be better to part as friends now than to let it drag out and end up hating each other. We just...fell out of love, I guess,” Kurt said with a shrug.

Blaine frowned. “Both of you, or just him?”

Kurt chuckled. “Both of us. Believe it or not, I was the one that brought it up.”

“But he’s the one moving on?” Blaine asked with a scowl.

Kurt shrugged. “There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m not upset over it. We talked about it and I even encouraged him to go talk to her.” Blaine’s frown remained in place and Kurt laughed again. “I appreciate your concern, but I really am okay. We’re still best friends and we’re still roommates. We just aren’t boyfriends anymore.”

“But you guys were together for so long.”

Nodding, Kurt said, “Five years. It’s a really long time. We got comfortable with each other and it’ll take some adjusting. We’re both happy, though. We were headed down the road of discontent, but we stopped in time and we’ll be fine.”

“You sound so sure,” Blaine said, sounding skeptical.

“I am. Look at him.” Kurt smiled. “He’s already happier than he has been for weeks now.”

Blaine watched Kurt as he watched Mike and Tina with a smile. “I don’t get it.”

Kurt turned to face Blaine and his smile softened. “He’s my best friend. I want him to be happy.”

Blaine returned the smile and said, “That’s sweet. But you should be happy, too.”

“I am happy,” Kurt insisted. “Just think...if it works out, Tina will be the luckiest woman on the planet.” He sighed. “Honestly, Blaine. What could be better than seeing your friends happy?”

Blaine gave in and nodded. “You’re right.”

“The only down side is having to jump back into the dating pool. Especially as spoiled as I have been. It’ll be hard to find a man like that again,” Kurt said with a sigh.

Blaine nodded. “Mike seems like a really great guy.”

“The best,” Kurt agreed. “You really have no idea.”

“If you don’t want to answer feel free to tell me to back off, but how did the two of you get together? I mean, we’ve known each other for, what, two years now? And I’ve never heard the story.”

Kurt smiled and glanced Mike’s way again before focusing on Blaine. “We’ve known each other forever. Best friends for as long as I can remember. We both came to New York for college and figured it was only natural that we live together. After a year of living together, it seemed obvious that we should _be_ together.” Kurt shrugged. “Five years later, here we are. Not much of a story, really.”

Blaine noticed that Kurt was trying to hide the tears that were welling up in his eyes. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“It’s just a lot to let go of.”

“At least you’re still friends,” Blaine said softly.

Kurt nodded. “I’m starting to think maybe that’s a little harder than it sounds.”

Before Blaine could respond, he ended up with someone in his lap. “Whoa,” he chuckled, putting his hands on Sam’s waist to hold him still. “What happened to going easy on the alcohol tonight?”

Sam grinned and said, “I only had, like, two.”

“Mmhmm. You know I love you, Sam, but Kurt and I were having a discussion. Do you think you can go harass someone else?”

Sam looked at Kurt and said, “You’re pretty.” A blush crept into Kurt’s cheeks. “Don’t worry. I’m not hitting on you. I’m straight. I’m getting married. Married!” he shouted.

“So I heard. Congratulations.”

“Thanks.” Sam’s attention was drawn away from Kurt and Blaine and he jumped up. “Mikey!” he yelled, heading toward Mike and Tina.

Blaine chuckled. “Sorry about that. He’s not a very good drunk.”

Kurt shrugged. “It was a good distraction. I feel a little better now.”

Blaine changed the subject and soon Kurt was smiling again. The conversation turned to their families and Blaine launched into a story about his brother. “And then he tried to give me acting advice. As if I want to follow in his footsteps,” Blaine laughed, rolling his eyes.

“You have to admit that he’s good looking.”

“Good looks don’t equal talent,” Blaine argued.

Kurt laughed. “Not always. So, you never wanted to become an actor?”

Blaine shrugged. “I thought about it for a while. Broadway would have been fun, I’m sure. I just...I love kids and I get to have fun. Acting is so unpredictable, but teaching is steady. It’s still hard work, just in a different way. And it’s very fulfilling.”

“It sounds way better than fashion. Don’t get me wrong. I love my job. The schedule is just so crazy at certain times of the year. The last few weeks especially. Half of the time, I crashed at the office because there was so much going on that I didn’t want to leave and take the chance of oversleeping or experiencing some type of disaster mid-commute.”

With a sympathetic smile, Blaine said, “That sounds terrible.”

“ _So_ worth it in the end, though.” Blaine smiled and nodded. They sat for a while in comfortable silence and Kurt looked up when a shadow fell over them. He smiled and asked, “Everything okay?”

Mike nodded. “I’m thinking of heading home soon and wanted to let you know.”

Kurt frowned. “So soon?”

“It’s almost two,” Mike laughed.

Kurt’s eyes went wide. “Oh wow. I didn’t realize. Yeah, that’s fine. Let me know when you’re ready.” When Mike walked away, Kurt said, “Thank you for entertaining me for the evening. I was sure I would end up passed out before the night was over.”

“No problem. Drive safe. And make sure you get a good night’s sleep.”

Kurt grinned and nodded. “I will.”


	3. Chapter 3

Kurt looked up as Mike walked in. “Good morning,” he said with a smile.

Mike returned the smile and said, “It is. In fact, I’d go so far as to call it a great morning.” When Kurt’s smile faded, Mike frowned. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t...”

“No. Don’t try to make me feel better. I’m fine. I love that you’re happy. It’s just harder than I thought. Especially considering _I’m_ the one who came up with the idea.” Kurt smiled and said, “I actually had a really good time last night. Better than I expected.”

“All you did was sit and people-watch.”

Kurt chuckled. “I’m surprised you even noticed since you were otherwise occupied,” he teased. “It wasn’t the sitting that made it nice. I had good company.”

Mike raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really? So, do you think there might be something there?”

“I think he might challenge you for the best friend spot soon if he keeps it up,” Kurt laughed. He smiled and blushed as he told Mike about his conversation with Blaine. “It was nice to talk to him. We don’t get to do that very much. And nothing like last night. We learned so much about each other.”

Mike grinned as he listened to Kurt, nodding along. “Sounds like you had fun.” Kurt nodded. “Can I ask you for some advice?”

“As long as it doesn’t have anything to do with straight sex.”

“No,” Mike laughed. “We’re not there yet. I want to ask Tina on a date, but I’m not sure what to do or how to ask her.”

Kurt thought for a moment. “Why don’t you just go to dinner? Maybe a movie?”

“Dinner is fine, but I don’t know if I want to go to a movie. You can’t really get to know someone at a movie.”

“You already know each other. Movie theaters are dark and you can do something as simple as holding hands or you can go so far as making out.”

Mike smirked and said, “I seem to recall a few times that we did more than just make out in a movie theater.”

Kurt blushed. “Yeah, well, feel free to do that, too. As long as you don’t share the details with me.”

“Why don’t you and Blaine go with us?”

“No, thank you,” Kurt said quickly.

Mike frowned. “Why not?”

“On your first date? Really? No. For one thing, I’m not going to ruin your first date by tagging along. And more importantly, Blaine and I _aren’t_ dating. We’re friends.”

“We were friends before we dated.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Yes, we were. For several years.”

“So, you’re not going to date because you don’t have anyone else in your life that you’ve been friends with for that long?”

“I didn’t say that,” Kurt said with a scowl. “I’m just not ready to date yet.”

Mike sighed. “Okay. I’ll leave you alone about it.”

“Thank you. When is this date that I’m helping you plan for?”

“That was the other part of the problem. I’m not sure how to ask.”

Kurt laughed. “I don’t have much experience with that, so I don’t know why you want my advice. What did you do with the last girl you asked out?”

“I had _one_ girlfriend, Kurt. The cute little cheerleader that also happened to become valedictorian.”

“Mmhmm. I remember. Alison. It’s just too bad she let you go.”

Mike shrugged. “It worked out. She went to Harvard and I got you.”

“Don’t you wish you’d gotten Harvard instead?” Kurt joked.

Mike shook his head and laughed. “That would have been my parents’ choice. Not over you,” he added quickly. “They love you. They weren’t very thrilled about Julliard, though.”

Kurt laughed. “I’ll never understand that. How can they be disappointed that you graduated from Julliard?”

“I wouldn’t say disappointed.”

“How did you ask her out?” Kurt asked, trying to get the conversation back on track.

Mike thought for a minute. “I don’t really remember.”

“I think you should just call Tina or go over and say, ‘Hey, let’s go to dinner.’ Or lunch. It really doesn’t matter.”

Mike frowned. “And you think that will work?”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “I’ve never known you to be shy, Michael Chang.”

Mike chuckled. “I was when _we_ first started dating. It’s because I’m scared I’ll say or do the wrong thing.”

“Believe me, she’ll follow you anywhere. She’d be a fool not to. You’re an amazing man.”

“Thanks, Kurt. So are you.”

Kurt smiled. “Of course I am, but this isn’t about me. When you and Tina finally get together, I can focus on me.”

“You should focus on you _now_ ,” Mike argued. “Especially when you’ve got some prime real estate just waiting to be snatched up.”

With a laugh, Kurt said, “I’m sure Blaine would love that you’re talking about him like that.”

“I think he’d agree with the part about snatching him up, though.”

“Whatever you say,” Kurt said, rolling his eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

“Oh, come on. It’s not _really_ a date. You’re not crashing it or anything. Just come hang out with us. It’s more fun with a group.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. Mike had been saying basically the same thing for the past couple of weeks. Each time that he would go hang out with Tina, he would invite Kurt along. And each time, Blaine would be there, too. Tina walked in and Kurt gave both of them a pointed look. “I told you, Blaine and I are just friends.”

“Even after all the double dates we’ve gone on?” Tina asked with a frown.

Mike met Kurt’s glare with a guilty smile and a shrug. “So maybe I lied.”

“Is Blaine under the impression that we’re dating?” Kurt hissed.

Kurt finished his question just as Blaine walked in with a big grin. “Sorry that took so long. Did you guys realize that parking is awful here? I dropped Tina at the door and then...” He noticed the glare on Kurt’s face and his smile faded a little. “Is this a bad time?”

“Not at all,” Kurt grumbled as he turned and walked out of the room. Mike hurried after him and Kurt rounded on him. “Don’t you dare put me in this position, Michael. I made it very clear to you what I wanted.”

Mike looked over his shoulder to see if Tina and Blaine could hear the conversation. They seemed oblivious, so he said, “I’ve seen the way the two of you are when you’re together. Maybe you should give it a try. He really seems to like you. And I’m pretty sure you like him, too.”

Kurt crossed his arms over his chest and the glare returned. “If that were true, we wouldn’t be having this discussion.” Mike started to speak and Kurt cut him off. “ _And_ even _if_ it were true, it’s none of your business.”

Mike frowned. “I’m sorry. I...I thought the two of you were just being oblivious about everything. I was trying to help it along.”

“The only thing you’re helping is your own ego. You want to be able to brag that _you’re_ the reason a couple exists? You think you can play the matchmaker and _fix_ everything? Newsflash, Mike. You can’t. This isn’t some crazy rom-com, okay? Just go on your date. Have fun. But don’t expect me to always be your third wheel. Because that’s what you’ve turned me into.”

“I thought you were having a good time,” Mike said softly.

Kurt shrugged and deflated. He wrapped his arms around himself and shook his head. “I thought so, too. But now I realize it was just some...ploy to get us together.” Turning away, he mumbled, “Go. Have a great time. I hope Tina loves our last anniversary.”

Mike frowned in confusion. As Kurt started to walk away, Mike’s eyes went wide. “Oh my god, Kurt. I’m sorry. I didn’t even...Is that why you don’t want to go? Because that’s where we went for our anniversary?”

Turning to face Mike once more, Kurt said, “It’s not just that. The whole evening...” Kurt let out a soft sigh. “It’s _exactly_ what we did for our anniversary. And I’m not saying don’t go. It was perfect and I’m sure she’ll love it. I know I did. It’s just not something that you invite your friends along for. Does she even know what you have planned? Would she have invited Blaine if she did?” Kurt scoffed and mumbled, “Of course she would. She thinks we’re dating.”

“Kurt...”

“No. I’m done. This can’t happen anymore. I love you, Mike, but I can’t keep going on dates with you and your new girlfriend and relive our life together. I’m sorry.”

Mike frowned as Kurt walked away, firmly closing his bedroom door behind him. Letting out a sigh, he turned and headed back to the living room. Tina and Blaine gave him sympathetic smiles. “How much did you hear?”

“Just that he’s upset you’ve been trying to set us up,” Blaine told him. “Do you think he’d be okay with me going in and talking to him?”

With a shrug, Mike said, “All you can do is try. He’s obviously not talking to me.”

“You guys go ahead. I’d hate for you to be late for your reservation. I’ll see what I can do here.” Mike and Tina nodded and Mike escorted her out of the apartment. Blaine took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, before approaching Kurt’s room. “Kurt?” he called out, knocking softly.

All Kurt wanted to do was hide in his room, but apparently his friends had other ideas. With a sigh, he opened the door. “Yes?”

Blaine smiled and said, “Come on, now. Don’t be that way. Come out here so we can talk.” Kurt shook his head and turned, going back to his bed and flopping down before pulling a pillow to his chest. Blaine chuckled softly. “Okay. I guess we can pretend we’re back in high school.” He moved toward Kurt’s bed and sat down on the edge. “Tell me what’s bothering you.”

Kurt shrugged. “Can I get away with saying everything?”

“Nope. You were the one that was all about being happy for our friends. What happened?”

With another sigh, Kurt pushed himself up into a sitting position. “I didn’t expect to become the third wheel on all of their dates. Or non-dates as he’s been calling them when I’m along.”

“If you’re the third wheel, what does that make me?” Blaine asked with a teasing smile. “Because I’ve been there, too. You know, in case you missed that fact.”

Kurt smiled a little and shook his head. “No. I haven’t missed that. It’s the only reason I agreed. They were easing into the dating thing and they wanted backup,” he said with a shrug. “A lot of people do that when they start dating. Right?”

“I wouldn’t say a lot.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I was fine with it because you were there. We were able to hang out and they could do their thing. It was fun. You know, I teased Mike that you were going to take over his spot as my best friend. But it’s pretty accurate. We’ve gotten really close since they got together. And we hang out even when we’re not with them.”

Blaine nodded and smiled. “So, you’re saying I’m your new best friend?”

“Maybe not yet,” Kurt teased. “I’m not sure you’re up to the challenge of being Kurt Hummel’s best friend.”

Blaine scoffed. “I’m totally up for it. Try me.”

Kurt’s smile faded and he asked, “Can I ask you something?” Blaine nodded. “Did you...think we were dating?”

Blaine frowned and cocked his head. “Why?”

“Tina seemed to think we were. She was surprised when I said we’re just friends because, according to her, we’d been going on double dates with her and Mike.”

Blaine shook his head. “No. We were just along for the ride. Making them more at ease.”

“Okay. Good. I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

“Yep. Just friends. _Best_ friends,” Blaine said with a grin.

Kurt pushed Blaine playfully and moved to get out of bed. “Come on, _best_ friend. Who says we can’t have fun without them?” Blaine grinned and followed Kurt.


	5. Chapter 5

“I’m tempted to just move in here,” Kurt joked as he sat beside Blaine on the couch. “It’s like they’re always at our place now.”

Blaine laughed. “You’re always welcome here. And as long as Tina’s not here, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind you crashing in her room.”

“I’m not sure you know your roommate very well, then. I’m about eighty-seven percent sure she’d say I should crash in _yours_ ,” Kurt laughed.

Blaine blushed. “I’m sorry about her. I hope she hasn’t been bugging you too badly.”

“Nah. She’s not too bad. And Mike has really let up since I snapped at him about it.”

“Lucky you. Tina’s been hounding me for weeks.” Blaine shook his head. “I keep telling her that I’m not looking to be someone’s rebound guy.”

Kurt chuckled. “Oh? Then, what _are_ you hoping for?”

“Trying to set me up?” Blaine laughed. He looked down for a moment before meeting Kurt’s eyes. He smiled and said, “I want someone that’s kind and loving. Romantic, but not over-the-top. Witty, but not cocky about it like my ex.”

“Not picky at all, are you?” Kurt laughed. “I have no idea where to find you someone like that.”

Blaine’s eyes sparkled as he said, “I have some idea where you could look.”

Kurt looked into Blaine’s eyes and just as Blaine started leaning closer, Kurt stood quickly and said, “Have you eaten yet? I haven’t and I’m starving. I could cook.”

“Sure. That sounds great.” When Kurt walked out of the room, Blaine let out a sigh and dropped his head back onto the couch. Kurt called out to him and he blew out a long breath before getting up and joining Kurt in the kitchen. “What’s wrong?”

“How do the three of you live? You have next to nothing in here. We have to go grocery shopping and since it’s _your_ apartment and _I’m_ cooking, _you_ get to pay.”

Blaine laughed. “I don’t agree with your logic. You make more than I do.”

“I also spend more than you. It takes a lot to look this fabulous.”

“I thought it came naturally,” Blaine said in a flirty tone.

Kurt smiled. “You’re good. But flirting won’t get you anywhere.” Deciding that it was now or never, Kurt took a chance, saying, “If I buy the food _and_ cook, that makes this a date. You implied that that isn’t what you want.”

“I think you misinterpreted.”

“So, you _do_ want this to be a date?”

Blaine shrugged and casually leaned against the counter. “I wouldn’t be opposed. Is that your way of asking me out? Because if it is, your approach needs a little work.”

Kurt chuckled and looked down with a blush. Lifting his head, his eyes met Blaine’s and he said, “Would you like to have dinner with me?”

“I would love to,” Blaine said with a grin. They pulled on their jackets and headed down to the corner market. As they walked, Kurt’s hand brushed Blaine’s. Blaine looked up, catching Kurt’s eye and smiling before taking Kurt’s hand in his.

Kurt smiled and linked their fingers, tugging Blaine closer. “I wonder when it will start warming up,” he said softly.

“I don’t know. I kind of like the cold.” Blaine smiled and squeezed Kurt’s hand. “Can I ask what’s for dinner?”

Kurt released Blaine’s hand, slipping his arm around Blaine’s waist instead. “I was toying with the idea of letting you choose.”

Blaine blushed as he slid an arm around Kurt’s waist, squeezing lightly. “I think you should surprise me.”

“Won’t be much of a surprise since you’re with me, but I’ll see what I can do,” Kurt said with a smile. “I have a great idea.”

“Uh oh. That sounds dangerous,” Blaine laughed. When he saw Kurt’s smile, his heart raced and his breath caught in his chest.

Kurt pulled away from Blaine, opening the door for him. They walked through the aisles with Kurt picking out the components to the meal, humming softly as he thought over his choices. When they were finished, they headed back to Blaine’s apartment. “How did you manage to score an empty apartment when you have two roommates?” he asked as he began dinner preparations.

Blaine shrugged. “Lucky, I guess. Mercedes is in town, so Sam’s been at the hotel with her. And, well, you know where Tina is,” he laughed.

“Same place she’s been for the last two weeks,” Kurt said. “I shouldn’t complain. They’re good about it. At least they give me some warning when they want the apartment to themselves. I’d hate to walk in on something I _really_ don’t need to see.”

Blaine laughed and nodded. “They do a decent job of splitting their time between here and there.”

“I don’t know about that, but most of their time together is spent going out instead of staying in.”

“Which leaves us more time to spend in rather than out?”

Kurt laughed. “Sure. Although, when it starts to warm up, I prefer to spend time outside. So, be prepared.”

“Exhibitionist, huh?” Blaine teased. Kurt blushed and Blaine said, “I’m sorry. That was too much.”

“It’s okay. I hear stuff like that from Mike all the time. I just didn’t expect it from you.”

Blaine shrugged. “I like to keep people guessing.”

Kurt smiled and said, “I’m pretty straightforward. What you see is what you get.”

“Lucky me. Because I really like what I see.” Blaine stepped up behind Kurt and slipped an arm around his waist, kissing the back of his neck. Kurt sucked in a breath before letting out a soft moan and pressing back against Blaine. “Is this too much?” Blaine asked softly, trailing kisses along the side of Kurt’s neck.

Kurt shook his head and swallowed hard. “No. It’s...it’s nice. If you want dinner, though, you’re going to have to stop. Unless you want me to chop off a finger.”

Blaine chuckled and pressed one last kiss to Kurt’s shoulder before stepping back. “I wouldn’t want that.” He leaned against the counter next to Kurt and watched with a smile. “I’m not moving too fast for you, am I?” he asked after a few minutes.

“No. Not at all,” Kurt said quickly.

“Are you sure? Because I haven’t really dated for a while, but I’m pretty sure that’s not how a first date is supposed to go,” Blaine chuckled. “It’s just that I can’t help myself around you.”

Kurt turned and looked at Blaine for a moment. He smiled and said, “I know what you mean.”

“I will, though, if you want. I want to do this right.”

Kurt blushed and ducked his head. “That’s sweet. It’s not like we’re kids, though. There aren’t any rules to follow.”

“That’s good to know,” Blaine said with a smile. He watched as Kurt put the dish in the oven and before he knew it, Kurt was pressed against him, their lips parting to taste one another. He pulled back to catch his breath and stared into Kurt’s eyes.

“Too much?” Kurt breathed.

Blaine chuckled. “Not at all.”

“Good,” Kurt said before leaning in for more. They shared sweet kisses, taking their time to map out and learn as much as they could. Kurt rested his arms on Blaine’s shoulders and Blaine’s arms slid around Kurt’s waist, pulling him closer. Kurt let out a soft gasp as their hips met and he felt Blaine’s arousal. He pulled away and said, “I’m sorry. I think we need to cool down a bit.”

“Sure,” Blaine panted. “Whatever you need. I’m just, uh...I’m gonna run to the bathroom real quick.”

Kurt nodded and turned away from Blaine, leaning against the counter and letting out a sigh. When Blaine returned, he looked more relaxed. Kurt murmured, “I’m sorry.”

Blaine shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. We have plenty of time.”

“It’s not that,” Kurt said softly. “I mean, it is. But that’s not all. I’m not closed off about sex. Not like when I was younger. You know, for the longest time, I couldn’t even bring myself to say the word,” he laughed. “It’s just that Mike was my first...everything. I kept thinking once I got out of Ohio I’d find the perfect guy and we’d experience everything together.”

“And you did,” Blaine said softly.

Kurt frowned and shook his head. “Not everything. Sure, all the big firsts that people talk about, but not the _really_ big stuff. I want to get married and have a family and, I don’t know, a dog or a cat or something. I just always had it in my head that everything would happen with the same guy. With Mike. You know?” Blaine nodded. “And it won’t. It never would have. He didn’t want any of that. And, you know, maybe he’ll change his mind when he finally meets the right person, but I wasn’t it for him.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No. God, no. Don’t be sorry. I love Mike. I probably always will. But I should have let him go sooner. I put aside everything I’d dreamed of having because it’s not what he wanted. And I thought I could be happy. I _was_ happy. But I _just_ realized that...I still want all of that. And the man that I was so in love with for so long, the man I planned a future with...isn’t who I’m going to share it with at all.”

Blaine sat quietly, listening to Kurt and wondering what it all meant. He frowned and said, “So, we should, um...”

Kurt shook his head. “I know where you’re going with that and no. We’re going to have our dinner date in spite of my revelation. We’re going to have a good time because I’m single now and I _can_. We’re going to try this out and hope for the best.” The façade broke down and Kurt began to cry. “I’m sorry. It’s not fair for me to cry over my ex when we were having such a great time. I thought I was over it because it wasn’t a bad breakup. Yet here I am, _finally_ realizing that I’ll never be with him again. He’s not _mine_ anymore. And it’s okay that he’s not because we weren’t meant to be. But it’s hard because I have to let go of an entire future of possibilities,” he rambled.

Blaine pulled Kurt into his arms and rubbed his back soothingly. “But you get a whole new future. One that could go anywhere. With anyone you choose.” When Kurt had calmed down, Blaine said, “I knew you were handling the break up too well.”

Kurt pulled away and sniffled as he wiped his eyes. “I wasn’t handling it at all. It just... _was_. I know that I’ve put on a brave face and mostly it was because I didn’t _realize_. But here I am with you and it just hit me. But that’s a good thing, right? Because you have to let go of the past to enjoy the future. You have to mourn the things you lose in order to truly get over them.”

Blaine nodded, wondering where Kurt was going with his rambling. “Yeah. Of course. Sometimes it takes a while. I understand that.”

Kurt looked into Blaine’s eyes and said, “I need you to know that I’ve never been with anyone other than Mike. I’m not a prude or anything, but the thought of having sex with someone for the first time terrifies me. Mike is all I’ve ever known and we learned and experimented together. You’re the only other man I’ve ever even kissed. And I know that I said there were no rules to follow, but...” Kurt sighed. “I don’t think I’m ready for sex yet.”

“That’s fine, Kurt. Just because there’s a spark there doesn’t mean we have to go at it right now. We can wait as long as you need. Or, you know, if I’m not the one you want to...” Kurt cut Blaine off with a kiss. When Kurt pulled away, Blaine murmured, “Okay.”

Kurt chuckled. “It’s good to know that I make you as speechless as you make me. This,” he said, pointing between the two of them. “This is more than just a spark. I do want to be with you. Getting to know you better over the last few weeks has been amazing. I...I think we just need to take it slow. Start with dinner. We could even watch a movie or old reruns.” Kurt’s smile turned shy and his tone became playful. “Maybe a nice goodnight kiss when it’s all done?”

Blaine gave a breathless chuckle and nodded. “That sounds great.” The timer beeped and Kurt pulled the food out while Blaine grabbed plates and silverware. “Do you want to eat at the table or be total slobs and eat in front of the television?”

“Do you really have to ask?”

“Living room it is, then,” Blaine laughed. “That smells amazing, by the way.”

Kurt smiled. “I hope you like it. It’s one of my favorites. My mom could never get my dad to eat it because of all the veggies. He’s the meat and potatoes type. I love it, though. It makes me think of her.” Blaine started to frown and Kurt shook his head. “No. In a good way, I promise. It brings me comfort. Or something. Makes me feel like I can do anything. Like I always felt whenever she was around.”

“From everything you’ve told me, she sounds like a great woman. I wish I could have met her.”

“She would have liked you. Probably would have already been planning a wedding by now, in fact.”

Blaine’s eyes widened. “She knew you were gay?”

Kurt nodded and started plating the food. “I think so. I think she’s the reason my dad reacted the way he did. All she ever wanted was for me to be happy and to find true love. Like in the fairy tales. At least, that’s what she always said.” He shook his head and said, “Enough about my mom. This is supposed to be about us.” He handed Blaine a plate and motioned for Blaine to lead the way.

“Are you sure the living room isn’t too informal for this?”

“I think it’ll be fine. We’ll just play it by ear.”

Blaine nodded. Grabbing the remote, he asked, “Anything in particular you want to watch?”

Kurt shook his head. “Whatever you want is fine with me.”

“You may regret that later,” Blaine laughed.


	6. Chapter 6

“Tell Mike I said thank you.” Kurt raised an eyebrow in question. “For pushing you. If he hadn’t, I’m not sure this would have happened.”

Kurt shook his head. “Would have happened eventually,” he argued. “I’m just really guarded about it. I don’t want to jump into a relationship without taking the time to think things through first.”

“So, what I’m hearing is that you overthink things and we never would have gotten together without Mike and Tina pushing us,” Blaine teased.

Kurt blushed, but nodded. “Yeah. Probably.”

Blaine smiled and leaned closer. “Well, I’m glad that tonight happened,” he said softly, his breath ghosting over Kurt’s lips.

“Me too,” Kurt replied, leaning forward to press their lips together. The kiss was brief, much shorter than the kisses they had shared earlier in the evening. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Blaine asked softly.

Kurt smiled. “For...everything.”

Blaine seemed to understand and he nodded. Leaning closer, he said, “That wasn’t much of a goodnight kiss. Let me fix that.” He pressed his lips to Kurt’s and he felt Kurt’s lips part. 

Their tongues met and Kurt sucked in a breath before letting out a soft sigh and relaxing into Blaine’s arms. When he pulled away, he smiled, resting his forehead against Blaine’s and looking into his eyes. “Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

“I shall say good night till it be morrow.”

Kurt laughed softly. “I don’t think it bodes well for us if we’re quoting Romeo and Juliet. I would think we’d be better off quoting something where the lovers live happily ever after.” 

“We have time to come up with some. But for now, you should go home so you can get some sleep. It’s getting late and I _know_ you’ve been up since before dawn.”

Kurt sighed. “You’re right. And I should get out of here before Tina gets back and realizes she and Mike were right all along.”

Blaine laughed and nodded. “Bye,” he said softly. “Let me know you got home safe.”

“I will. Let me know when our next date will be.”

Blaine laughed. “I thought there weren’t any rules. Not that I’m complaining because I can totally come up with something, but why do we have to take turns? Can’t we play it by ear and, you know, if you feel like planning two in a row or if I feel like planning two in a row, go with it?”

Kurt placed a soft kiss on Blaine’s lips and said, “I’ll be waiting.”

When Tina got home, she let out a dramatic sigh. “What’s wrong?” Blaine asked.

“Boys are so frustrating and complicated.”

“I know,” Blaine said, rolling his eyes.

Tina looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Um, I mean, why are boys so frustrating and complicated? I thought things were going well between you and Mike.” Blaine was sure he had avoided spilling the beans about his and Kurt’s date when Tina launched into a drawn out explanation of why she was upset.

When she finished, she said, “Why do _you_ think boys are frustrating and complicated?”

“Can I ask you something instead?” he asked. Not waiting for a response, he said, “Are there rules when it comes to dating? I mean, do people take turns planning the dates? Is there some secret handbook that I don’t know about? Because if you ask me, you should be able to just have fun together and not rely on taking turns. That just seems so elementary school.”

“Who are you planning dates with?” Tina asked curiously.

Blaine frowned. “Nobody. I’m not planning any dates. Except that apparently I’m supposed to. When did dating get complicated?”

“When did you start dating again?” Tina countered.

“I haven’t. I mean...I went on one date. That doesn’t mean I’m dating. But apparently we won’t go out again unless _I_ make plans since _he’s_ the one that planned the first date. Which, for the record? Yeah, not actually planned. More of a spur of the moment kind of thing,” Blaine huffed.

Tina frowned. “Oh, honey. It’ll be okay.”

“I hope you’re right,” Blaine sighed. “Because I’m in love with him. I didn’t want to say anything, but I’m sure he’s home by now, so yeah. Kurt and I had our first date tonight and...and I’m completely in love with him, Tina.”

Tina’s frown deepened and she said, “That’s great, Blaine. Why aren’t you happy?”

Blaine told her about his evening with Kurt. “And he expects me to plan our next date since he’s the one that took care of tonight.”

“So, what’s the problem? Plan a date.”

“The problem is that I’ve got nothing. I can’t cook nearly as well as he can, I don’t have a lot of money to be able to take him somewhere, and I...I don’t want to disappoint him.”

Tina smiled and said, “I don’t think anything you plan could disappoint him. The point is to spend time together, not try to impress each other.”

Blaine sighed. “Easier said than done. After tonight, all I can think about is kissing him.”

“You kissed him? Oh my god, tell me all about it,” Mike said with a grin.

Kurt rolled his eyes, but grinned. “I was making dinner and he came up behind me and started kissing my neck. I didn’t mind, but it was kind of distracting, so I asked him to stop. When I put the pan in the oven, I turned and...” Kurt let out a giggle, causing Mike to laugh.

“You can’t stop there. Tell me what happened.”

“I don’t know. I just...kissed him. I have no idea how long we stood there, in his kitchen, just kissing.” Kurt left out the part about his breakdown, not wanting Mike to worry about him. “Then we ate our dinner while we watched TV and we kissed again before I left. I told him I’d be waiting to hear from him what our next date will be.”

Mike frowned. “You didn’t.”

Confused, Kurt asked, “Didn’t what?”

“Tell me you didn’t force him into planning your next date.”

“I took care of this one. If he’s really into it, shouldn’t he get the next one?”

Mike shook his head. “That’s not how it works, Kurt. You don’t _expect_ the other person to do stuff. You just...go with it. If you feel compelled to see the person again, you go see them. If you feel compelled to go on a date, you ask them out. If I know Blaine, he’s probably freaking out by now, wondering what you expect from him.”

Kurt scoffed. “How was I supposed to know that? I’ve never dated before.”

“Don’t worry about it. Call or text him and tell him you changed your mind and you hope that he’d like to...fill-in-the-blank.” At Kurt’s confused look, Mike rolled his eyes and said, “You come up with something and then you ask if he wants to do that.”

Kurt frowned. “When did you become the expert?” he grumbled, causing Mike to laugh.

“Well, I _am_ more experienced at dating than you are,” Mike joked.


	7. Chapter 7

Blaine traced his fingers across the back of Kurt’s hand and smiled. “Can I say something I’ve been wanting to say for a while now without you freaking out?”

Kurt smiled. “I suppose that depends on what it is,” he teased, certain he knew what Blaine was hinting at. “Is it something I _should_ freak out about?”

Blaine shook his head. “Not at all. It’s just that we haven’t been dating very long...”

“If you don’t say it, I will. And I don’t want to say it first in case I’m wrong about what you want to say.”

With a chuckle, Blaine leaned in and cut off Kurt’s rambling with a soft kiss. “I love you,” he murmured against Kurt’s lips.

“Mm,” Kurt sighed. “I love you, too.”

“Yeah?” Blaine said with a smile. Kurt nodded. “Good.” He leaned in for another kiss. “I love you,” he repeated. “I love being able to say that,” he chuckled.

Kurt silenced Blaine by pulling him into another kiss. Rather than backing away like he had before, Kurt pressed himself closer to Blaine as their kisses heated up.

Blaine pulled back, panting. He looked into Kurt’s eyes and he could see the desire there. “Kurt, we either need to stop now or go to your room.”

Kurt nodded and stood, grabbing Blaine’s hand and tugging him up off of the couch. “I want this,” he breathed. “I want to be with you, so bad.”

Blaine nodded and said, “Me too.” Kurt tangled their fingers together and pulled Blaine with him to his bedroom. Afterwards, they lay in Kurt’s bed with Kurt’s head resting on Blaine’s chest. Blaine stroked Kurt’s back softly and he could feel Kurt smile against his skin. Blaine smiled and murmured, “What are you smiling about?”

“I think I have a lot to smile about,” Kurt said softly. After a moment, he said, “Your heart’s racing.”

“Well, I just had the best orgasm of my life, so...”

Kurt chuckled. “Glad I could help with that. It _was_ pretty good.”

“Pretty good? _Just_ pretty good?”

Trying not to laugh, Kurt shrugged and said, “It was only our first time. Don’t feel bad.”

Blaine moved so that he was pinning Kurt to the bed, hovering over him. “Don’t feel bad? Really?” Kurt laughed and Blaine leaned down for a kiss. “You’re mean.”

“I may be mean, but you love me,” Kurt teased.

“Take it back.”

Kurt raised an eyebrow. “Take back that you love me? I mean, that’s not really something _I_ can take back,” he teased.

Blaine laughed and dug his fingers into Kurt’s sides. “Take it back.”

Kurt squealed and said, “No.” Blaine tickled until Kurt was breathless from laughing. “Okay,” he panted. When he caught his breath, he said, “It was better than just pretty good.” Blaine’s fingers dug in again and Kurt shrieked, “Stop!”

“Are you done now?”

Kurt gasped for breath and let out a breathy chuckle. “It was amazing.”

“That’s what I thought,” Blaine said with a triumphant smile. “And for the record, I do love you. I meant it earlier.”

Kurt smiled and said, “Me too.” He pulled Blaine down into a kiss, running a hand along Blaine’s back. “Mm,” he hummed. When they pulled apart, Kurt said, “When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”

Blaine chuckled. “When Harry Met Sally?” Kurt nodded. “Definitely more appropriate for us than Romeo and Juliet.” After a few moments, he sighed, “I _do_ want the rest of my life to start as soon as possible.”

Kurt grinned and said, “That sounds perfect.” He ran his fingers through Blaine’s hair and said, “We should start by getting your hair cut. It’s getting a little out of control.”

Blaine thrust his hips down against Kurt’s. “I haven’t had a lot of extra time on my hands lately. See, I have this sexy boyfriend that keeps me pretty busy.”

“What a coincidence. I seem to have the same problem.”

“Yeah?”

Kurt nodded. “Mm, yeah,” he moaned softly, moving against Blaine. He grabbed a handful of Blaine’s hair and pulled him down into another kiss, slowly rocking their hips together. “I love you,” he murmured against Blaine’s lips.

There was a knock at the door and Mike called out, “Are you guys getting out of bed any time soon? Tina wanted me to invite you to go with us tonight.”

Kurt sighed against Blaine’s lips. “I thought they were at your place.”

“They were supposed to be,” Blaine said softly.

“I really hope they didn’t sit and listen to us go at it.”

Blaine chuckled and leaned down, kissing Kurt softly. “We’ll be out in a minute,” he called out. “We’ll need to shower,” he told Kurt.

“Shower together to save time?”

“Tempting, but I think it would actually save time if we shower separately.”

Kurt pouted and said, “I’ll blow you.”

Blaine laughed and said, “That’s what I mean. It would take much longer if we shower together.” He kissed Kurt’s pout away and said, “We have the rest of our lives to have fun together in the shower. One time alone won’t kill you.”

“It just might. You never know.” Kurt swatted Blaine’s hip lightly. “Get up. We can’t shower from here.”

While Blaine was in the shower, Kurt sat and talked to Mike. “You seem happy.”

“I am,” Kurt said with a smile. “You didn’t overhear anything, did you?”

“I got here just before I knocked on your door, I promise. Not that I’ve never heard you having sex before.”

Kurt shook his head and chuckled. “Only with you.”

“Yeah, well it all sounds the same,” Mike said with a shrug. “So...how was it?”

“Seriously?” Kurt laughed. “Are we really talking about my sex life?”

Mike shrugged again. “Why not? I promised not to give you details about my sex life, you never said anything about withholding details about yours. If you won’t tell me, I’m sure Blaine will.”

Kurt scoffed. “And just why would he do that?”

“Because that’s what guys do? I thought I could get it out of you since we go back so far, but Blaine and I are pretty close, too,” Mike said with a shrug.

“Guys don’t actually do that,” Kurt said as he rolled his eyes. He looked over his shoulder before turning back to Mike with a grin. “It was amazing. I don’t know if it’s because we both have experience or if it’s because he’s, you know, _the one_ or whatever, but...” Kurt let out a happy sigh. “He makes me want to quit my job and just stay in bed all day with him.”

Mike smiled. “That’s always a good thing.” Kurt nodded. “I know you don’t want details, but I feel the same way with Tina.”

“I’m so happy for you.”

“I’m happy for you, too. Now, how about those details?” Mike asked, waggling his eyebrows.

Kurt laughed loudly. “What’s so funny?” Blaine asked as he walked in, freshly showered.

Standing up, Kurt said, “If you want details, Blaine’s the one to ask. I need a shower.” He leaned in and kissed Blaine softly before walking out of the room.

“Details about what?” Blaine asked. He could hear Kurt snicker as he walked down the hall. Blaine blushed, suddenly realizing which details Kurt was referring to. “You’re kidding, right? Why would you want details?”

“Why wouldn’t I? Share and compare.”

Blaine frowned. “Do guys _actually_ do that?”

Mike shook his head and laughed. “Nah, I’m just teasing. Tell me one thing, though. Did he rock your world?” he asked with a teasing grin.

Blaine rolled his eyes and blushed. “Like you don’t already know the answer,” he grumbled.

Mike laughed and said, “If I didn’t before, I do now.”


	8. Chapter 8

“Weddings always get me emotional,” Kurt said, dabbing at his eyes. He let out a self-conscious laugh and looked down. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry,” Blaine said softly, holding Kurt closer. “Emotions aren’t a bad thing.”

Kurt chuckled. “I just can’t believe this is happening.”

Blaine smiled and nodded. “I know what you mean. But, you know, when two people are meant for each other, this is the next logical step, right?”

“Yeah. I guess so,” Kurt said with a slight shrug.

Blaine caught Kurt’s eye and said, “You know it’s too late to back out now, right?”

Kurt laughed and nodded, wiping away more tears. “Yeah. He’d kill me if I walked away on his wedding day.” Blaine nodded in agreement. “And he _is_ my best friend. So, I guess I should stick around.”

“Might be a good idea. I mean, I’d hate to lose you before _our_ wedding.”

Kurt looked up. “Our wedding?” he chuckled. “We’re not getting married.”

“We could,” Blaine said softly.

“Is that...are you proposing?”

Blaine shrugged. “If you want me to, I can.” He started to kneel down, but Kurt grabbed his arm.

“No, no, no,” Kurt hissed, looking around. “You can’t ruin Mike and Tina’s wedding by proposing. Then the focus turns to us instead of them.”

Blaine grinned and said, “Nobody needs to know. I can keep a secret. Can you?” He pulled his arm from Kurt’s grip and knelt down, pulling a ring from his pocket. “Kurt, I love you more than life itself and I would be honored if you would agree to be my husband. Will you marry me?”

Mike walked out in time to hear Blaine’s proposal and said, “If you don’t say yes, I’ll ridicule you for life.”

Kurt looked between Blaine and Mike before saying, “While I would love nothing more than to say yes, I can’t do it right now. I can’t take the focus off of the bride and groom.”

Mike looked around. “I don’t see anybody here. We’re the only ones that’ll know.” Blaine nodded and grinned. “So just say yes.”

“I’m going to stay just like this until you do. And won’t that be awkward when people do start walking through? They’ll wonder what’s going on and they’ll come over to find out and then they’ll wonder why you haven’t...”

Kurt put a hand over Blaine’s mouth to stop him. He could feel Blaine’s smile against his palm as he said, “Fine. Yes. I’ll marry you.” Kurt moved his hand and Blaine started to speak again. Kurt put his hand back over Blaine’s mouth. “Not a word. Nobody finds out about this until _after_ the wedding. Not even Tina.” Blaine smiled again and Kurt pulled his hand away from Blaine’s mouth, pulling him up and into a kiss. “Yes,” he murmured with a smile. “I want nothing more than to be your husband.”

As they kissed again, Mike said, “Make it quick. We’ve got a wedding to get ready for.” He chuckled. “Congrats, guys. I’m going to leave you two alone.”

Blaine and Kurt barely noticed, too wrapped up in one another. “I can’t believe you’d do something like this. Today of all days.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t expect it. I’ve been tiptoeing around it for weeks now.” Suddenly remembering the ring in his hand, Blaine said, “Oh! Here. I almost forgot.” He took Kurt’s hand in his and slid the ring onto his finger. “There. Perfect.”

“Oh, Blaine. It’s...”

With a blush, Blaine said, “I know it’s not much. I figured we’d splurge on the wedding rings, but I wanted something special. For you. It doesn’t look like much, but if you...”

Kurt pulled the ring off, quickly turning it to see the inscription inside. “Not much? Oh my goodness. Blaine, this is...how did you get this?” he asked as tears welled up in his eyes.

“I kind of asked your dad’s permission to marry you. I told him I hadn’t found the right ring yet and he insisted.”

“This is the ring my mom gave my dad the day they got married,” Kurt said softly. “He wore it for so many years. Even after she was gone.”

Blaine nodded. “And now he wants you to have it.”

Kurt slid the ring back onto his finger and stared at it in awe. “I can’t believe it fits. I always thought his hands were so much bigger than mine.”

A man approached and said, “The bride is asking for you, Mr. Anderson.”

Blaine nodded and thanked him. “I guess that means I have to go. I’ll see you soon.”

“Don’t tell her. I don’t want to ruin her day.”

Blaine grinned as he backed away. “She already knows. She’s the one that suggested I do it today.” Kurt’s jaw dropped and Blaine blew him a kiss before turning and heading down the hallway.


	9. Chapter 9

As Mike and Kurt danced at the reception, Kurt smiled and said, “And you said marriage wasn’t your thing. I think it suits you pretty well so far.”

Mike ducked his head and chuckled. “I guess when you find the right person...”

Kurt nodded. “I’m glad things worked out the way they did,” he said softly.

“Me too,” Mike said with a grin.

“Are you flirting with my husband?” Tina asked as she approached.

Kurt laughed. “Of course. Don’t you know that’s what we do?”

“I’ll forgive you as long as you dance with me.” Tina took Kurt’s hand and pulled him away from Mike. “I wanted to congratulate you.”

“Me? You’re the one that just got married.” Tina nodded and Kurt smiled. “But thank you. I can’t believe you bullied him into proposing on your wedding day.”

Tina shrugged. “I told him he should do it at the reception so that there were plenty of witnesses and there was no way you could say no.”

Kurt rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Of course you did.”

Tina laughed and hugged Kurt as the song ended. Her eyes shifted behind him and she said, “I think someone is anxious to get to you.” Kurt turned and saw Blaine leaning against one of the tables and watching them. “Go get him,” Tina said, pushing Kurt in Blaine’s direction.

Blaine started walking toward Kurt and everything else seemed to disappear. With a smirk, Blaine said, “Hello, Fiancé.”

Kurt smiled. “That sounds nice.”

“Yeah?”

Kurt hummed in agreement. “You know what would sound better?” Blaine shook his head. “Husband.”

Blaine smiled and said, “We can fix that. We can go to the clerk’s office on Monday and get a marriage license.”

Kurt chuckled. “I think that’s a little quick. I don’t mind not having a wedding or anything, but my dad would kill me if we got married without him there. And what about your family?”

“We can do whatever you want,” Blaine promised with a laugh. “Marriage licenses are good for a while, so it’s not like we’d have to get married the same day.”

“Okay,” Kurt said with a smile. “Let’s do it. We’ll go Monday. I’ll call my dad tomorrow and we can figure things out.”

Blaine’s smile grew even wider. “It’s still early, why wait until tomorrow?”

“Because tonight I have other plans,” Kurt said in a suggestive tone. “In case you hadn’t heard, I just got engaged. I thought I’d take a little time to celebrate with my husband-to-be.”

Blaine’s eyes darkened as Kurt leaned in. “Can we just leave now?” he asked softly.

Kurt nodded and kissed Blaine with an intensity that shocked them both. When he pulled away, nearly panting, he said, “Let’s go.” He tapped one of the groomsmen on the shoulder and said, “You’ve been promoted to best man. Don’t let Mike down.”

Blaine let out a laugh as Kurt pulled him out the door. “That wasn’t very nice. Poor guy has to take over your job. That can’t be an easy thing to do.”

“The reception’s almost over, so he shouldn’t have anything to do.” Kurt pushed Blaine up against the wall as they waited for the elevator. “I, on the other hand, have a _very_ important job ahead of me.”

Blaine pulled Kurt down into a kiss, pulling away when the elevator opened. “I’m glad we decided to get a room instead of just heading home.”

“Me too.”

As they stepped into the elevator, practically clinging to one another, a woman greeted them with a smile. “You must be the newlyweds. Congratulations,” she said as she stepped off the elevator. Rather than correct her, they simply thanked her.


	10. Chapter 10

“So, how quick can you get here?” Kurt asked with a soft laugh.

Burt chuckled. “Just give me a couple days’ notice to get everything arranged at the shop and I’ll be there. You sure you don’t want a big wedding? I know how you were when you were younger.”

“I’m not a kid anymore. I basically planned Mike and Tina’s wedding and I don’t want to go through that. It’s too stressful. All I want is to marry Blaine. I don’t need some big, lavish wedding. We can have a big reception or something so people don’t feel left out.”

“Okay, kiddo. Whatever you want, I’ll be there.”

Kurt’s voice softened as he said, “Tell me why.”

“Why what, bud?”

“Why did you give him your wedding ring?”

Burt smiled. “It’s what your mom would have wanted. It’s what I want. The two of you...you’re meant to be. When your mom and I got married...well, I know that what you have will rival what we had. So, I know that it was the right thing.”

“Thank you, Dad. I love you.”

“I love you, too, kiddo.”

When they hung up, Kurt went to find Blaine. He plopped himself down on Blaine’s lap and put his arms around Blaine’s neck. “I just got off the phone with my dad. He said we just need to give him enough time to get things in order so he can be away for a few days.”

“So, this weekend would work?” Blaine asked with a smirk.

Kurt laughed. “Whatever you want.”

“Well, that’s not true. What I want is now.” Kurt nuzzled Blaine’s nose and Blaine chuckled. “I love you, so much.”

“I love you, too.” Kurt kissed Blaine softly. “Next Thursday.” Blaine raised an eyebrow in question. “Let’s do it next Thursday. That way we can make it a long weekend.”

Blaine rolled his eyes. “And you think getting married on your birthday will make it easier to remember,” he laughed.

Kurt scoffed. “No. It’s just...well, I already have the time off, so why not kill two birds with one stone. You know?” He shook his head. “I’m kidding. It can wait a few more days.”

“We keep putting it off. Do you...did you change your mind?”

“Of course not. And how can we be putting it off when we haven’t even gotten a marriage license or come up with a date yet? I don’t want to get married on a holiday or some special day. It’s so cliché.”

Blaine grinned. “I think it’s perfect. It would be an extra extra long weekend with Memorial Day. That’s five days. Five whole days to enjoy being married before going back to the real world.”

Kurt laughed and shook his head. “I just told you...”

Blaine pouted and said, “You said whatever I want.”

“How do I argue with that face?” Kurt said, rolling his eyes.

The pout turned to a grin and Blaine said, “Really?”

Kurt sighed. “I suppose. _But_ you better not skimp on presents. Our anniversary and my birthday are two distinct special occasions and deserve to be treated as such.”

Blaine chuckled. “Of course. I would never do that to you. It’s like having a Christmas birthday. You can’t cheat a kid out of presents or a celebration for one or the other. You have to celebrate both separately and equally.”

“As long as we have that covered.” Kurt leaned in for a kiss. He pulled away quickly and Blaine let out a whine of protest. “Oh my god. We’re getting married. In eleven days. Do you know how much needs to be done?”

Kurt started to jump up, but Blaine held onto him. “Hey. Stop. Calm down. We said we weren’t doing anything big. We don’t even have a marriage license yet. Besides, it’s Sunday. We’re not going to be able to do much today, anyway. Let’s just enjoy today and get started tomorrow. We’ll get the license, find an officiant, buy whatever ridiculous decorations you think we might need.”

“Ridiculous?”

“Honey, listen. All I care about is marrying you. If it was up to me, I’d take you to the clerk’s office tomorrow and exactly twenty-four hours later, we’d be there getting married.”

Kurt gave Blaine a little pout. “Why a whole day?”

Blaine smiled and kissed Kurt’s pout away. “Because New York has this stupid requirement where you have to wait a day. We could always do it in Ohio. Get everything done at once.”

Kurt shook his head. “As convenient as that would be for our families, I don’t want to get married in Ohio. Plus, who would we get to officiate?”

With a shrug, Blaine said, “We know people. You really wouldn’t want to get married in your home state?”

“ _This_ is where I’ve always wanted to get married. I don’t have to get married in Ohio to be married while I’m in Ohio. We’re not even there very much. It doesn’t hold any special memories for us. We met here, fell in love here...I want to get married here and live our lives here.” Kurt kissed Blaine softly. “You know, for all the fantasies I’ve had, I don’t think I actually know any of the marriage laws in New York. I didn’t even know there was a waiting period.”

“Maybe we should do some research.” Blaine patted Kurt’s leg and Kurt stood, pulling Blaine to his feet. “I’ll go get my iPad and we can check it out.”

Kurt nodded and smiled, watching as Blaine practically skipped out of the room. He sighed and sat down. “All I want is to spend the rest of my life with you,” he murmured. “Why am I suddenly getting cold feet less than twenty-four hours into our engagement?”

Blaine bounced back into the room with a smile. “Are you talking to yourself?”

Kurt looked up and all of his fears melted away. “Yeah. I was,” he admitted. “It was nothing. Come here.” He held his arms out, inviting Blaine to sit on his lap. Blaine plopped down, throwing his legs over the arm of the chair. Kurt laughed. “I hope this isn’t how you’re going to be treating our furniture.”

“Can I be really honest?” Kurt nodded. “Don’t rat me out to my fiancé, but I already do,” Blaine whispered.

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Of course you do,” he chuckled. “Let the research commence.” When they had read through all of the information, Kurt let out a sigh. “It sounds like the easiest thing to do is just get married at the clerk’s office. I mean, I know a lot of people, but I don’t think I know anybody qualified to marry us.”

“I bet my dad knows people. We have a few days to figure it out. If we can’t come up with someone, we can do it at the clerk’s office. Unless you have a problem with that?”

“It’s not how I pictured us getting married, but I wouldn’t be opposed if it was the only option.”

Blaine smiled. “I know we’ve been joking about it and having fun with it and you said whatever I want, but what I want is for you to be happy. If you’d rather have something big, we can do that. I’m willing to wait. Reluctantly, of course.”

Kurt laughed. “Of course.” He shook his head. “We’re not waiting, Blaine. If I regret it after, then we’ll renew our vows and make it some big thing.”

“I would gladly renew our vows every year to give you every type of wedding you’ve ever imagined.”

“You won’t have to. Because all of my fantasies and dreams...they don’t compare to the real thing. All I need is you.” Kurt leaned up for a kiss. “And an officiant that meets the city’s qualifications,” he added with a laugh.

Blaine rolled his eyes and smacked Kurt’s shoulder. “So, you wanna start the application?”

“Sure. But I get to be the bride,” Kurt joked.

“I’m sure they have the forms updated by now. New York’s been doing this for years.” Blaine clicked through a few pages until they got to the application. “Ha! See? Now, do you want to be Groom A or Groom B?” Kurt thought for a moment and Blaine chuckled. “It’s not a life or death thing, Kurt. Just pick A or B.”

Kurt frowned. “You proposed so you should be first. Or does that mean I should be first?”

Without answering, Blaine started filling in the blanks. “Are we changing our names?”

“If we do, we should hyphenate. And no offense, but Hummel-Anderson sounds better than Anderson-Hummel.”

“Hummel-Anderson it is, then.”

Kurt looked over Blaine’s shoulder and said, “Wait! What are you doing?”

“Applying for a marriage license. Order doesn’t matter. As long as we fill in all the required information.” Blaine showed Kurt as he continued filling in information.

“How do you know so much about me?”

Blaine smiled. “I listen when you talk.” With a smirk, he asked, “Do you want to fill out my info? See how well you know me?”

Kurt scoffed. “Challenge accepted.” He went through the first section with no problems, but when he got to the parental information, he stopped. “That’s not fair. You never talk about your parents. I know their names are William and Angela and that’s about it.”

“That’s not true. Think about it. You sat and listened to my mom for an hour before I rescued you. She practically told you her whole life story.”

“You mean _your_ whole life story. She told me how she met your dad and all about their wedding before launching into vivid detail about your birth and early years.”

Blaine kissed Kurt’s cheek. “Then you have all the answers you need.”

Kurt frowned. “They met in Cleveland? And got married in, like, Nebraska or something. That doesn’t tell me their birthplaces or her maiden name.”

Blaine tsked softly. “If you had paid attention, you would know. I don’t know how I’ll tell Mama that you didn’t listen to her at all,” he teased.

Kurt tried to remember the conversation, but the only thing that stuck out to him was the detailed account of Blaine’s birth. Fate, his mother had said, that Blaine had been born in the same hospital as both of his parents. Especially since neither had family in the area anymore and they were only passing through. And Blaine hadn’t been due for another ten days. He knew that it had something to do with football, so he tried to remember places that he knew in Ohio that were associated with football. “Canton?”

Blaine’s jaw dropped. “Oh, god, don’t let my dad hear you say that. He’ll kill you. Why would you say Canton?”

“Because...football? The hall of fame...”

“No, no, no. _Massillon_. Dad’s a Tiger, not a Bulldog. We’ll just forget you ever said that, okay, honey? We were all born in Massillon.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “At least I remembered the football part of it. Give me _some_ credit.”

“Yes, Kurt. I give you credit for that. Just not around my parents, okay? I may not have been raised there or gone to school there, but I understand the rivalry. Every year we’d go to the big game. Even now.”

“I was raised in the home of an avid Buckeye fan. I think I understand rivalry.”

Blaine simply shook his head. “It’s not the same.”

“Fine. Whatever. Go Bulldogs, right?” Blaine frowned and Kurt held up his hands in surrender. “I’m kidding. I promise I’ll never say that in front of your parents. Even jokingly like I just did. Because that’s what it was. A joke. I’m sorry that I got it wrong. It won’t happen again.”

“Good. Now, you should probably go up and change your answer for my birthplace.”

Kurt sighed and scrolled up. “I thought I remembered you saying you were born in Columbus,” he mumbled. “Sorry.”

“No, that’s where my parents lived when I was born and where I grew up. So you were close.” Blaine nuzzled Kurt’s cheek and said, “I forgive you.” He placed gentle kisses along Kurt’s jawbone. “And I love you. It doesn’t matter whether you ever remember where I was born.”

“As long as I don’t mistake it for Canton again?”

Blaine grinned. “Exactly.” He took the iPad from Kurt’s hands, laying it on the coffee table. He captured Kurt’s lips in a heated kiss, moving so that he was straddling Kurt’s hips. Pulling the release lever to recline the chair, Blaine laughed as Kurt grabbed onto him tightly. “It’s okay.” He looked down into Kurt’s eyes and said, “On second thought, maybe we should take this to the bedroom.”

Kurt shook his head. “This is fine. You just moved so quickly I thought we were toppling over. Now that I know we’re not...” He trailed off and shifted just slightly so that their erections brushed together. “You sure know how to heat things up in a hurry.”

“I guess I’m not just a Tiger by birth, but a tiger in bed, too.” Kurt covered his mouth to stop a giggle from escaping. Blaine made a face. “Too much?” Kurt nodded. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. You’re adorable.”

Blaine chuckled and thrust his hips down into Kurt’s, eliciting a gasp from his fiancé. “I can work with that.” He leaned down and started kissing and sucking softly at Kurt’s neck, continuing the movement of his hips in an effort to take Kurt over the edge.

Kurt let out a moan as Blaine’s hand slid into his pants. Kurt turned his head, looking into Blaine’s eyes. He nuzzled Blaine’s nose and murmured, “Go Tigers,” before pulling him into a deep kiss.


	11. Chapter 11

Kurt knocked on the doorframe, alerting Mike to his presence. “Hey,” he said softly. “I know you’re packing for your honeymoon, but I wanted to tell you that Blaine and I set a date.”

Mike’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Already? That was quick.”

Kurt shrugged. “When you know, you know. I should probably thank you. Without you and Tina pushing, we might have never gotten together.”

“You would have. Eventually. So, when’s the wedding? Do you need any help with planning?”

Kurt smiled and shook his head. “We’re not having a wedding. It gets expensive and it’s stressful. You can help us plan a reception, though. If you want. We’re going to get our license tomorrow.” He laughed. “If Blaine has his way, we’ll be there as soon as they open.”

“Wow. You know they’re only good for sixty days, right?”

Kurt nodded. “We want to get married next week.”

Mike let out a long sigh and nodded. “Not the shortest engagement in history, I’m sure. You’re sure about this?”

“Are you trying to talk me out of it? You’re the one that insisted I say yes.”

“No. Not at all. That’s just really quick. How have you even had time to process it all?”

Kurt chuckled. “It’s been a whirlwind. We talked about it last night and again this morning. Hammered out the details. My dad said he’d be here whenever and you know Blaine’s parents. They’ll drop everything for their baby.”

“So...next week. When?”

With a frown, Kurt said, “Please don’t be mad. We weren’t going to have friends there for the actual ceremony anyway, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to do it before you got back.”

“Kurt,” Mike whispered.

“It’s probably going to be crowded anyway and neither of us has a big family,” Kurt said quickly. “So, we just wanted to have our parents and his brother there. Just so it’s official. We have to have a witness and we couldn’t choose just one and leave out the rest.” Kurt’s shoulders sagged. “If you were there, then Sam would wonder why Blaine didn’t ask him, and if Sam’s there and you’re there, then Mercedes and Tina would have to come and...” Kurt sighed. “And then it turns into a wedding. And we might as well go all out with it. We don’t want that, so we’re keeping it simple.”

Mike nodded. “It’s okay. I just...I guess I expected it to be like you always talked about. I thought you wanted big and fancy.”

“People change,” Kurt said with a shrug. “After basically planning your wedding for you I realized it’s nothing but a huge hassle.” He took Mike’s hand and pulled him toward the bed, sitting and pulling Mike down next to him. “Honey, listen. You’re my best friend and I love you, but we’re not Mike and Kurt anymore. You’re one-half of Tike and I’m one-half of...I don’t know, what would we be? Blurt? Ugh, that sounds awful.”

Mike chuckled. “Klaine. That’s what Tina calls you two.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Tina and her obsession with couple names.”

“To be fair, she isn’t the one that started it.”

“Whatever. The point is we’re not _us_ anymore. And we would have an absolutely horrible couple name anyway,” Kurt laughed before turning serious once more. “You’ll always be my best friend, my first love...you mean so much to me and always will. But this is something I have to do on my own. I appreciate that you included me in your big day, and you’re definitely going to be included in our...reception or whatever you want to call it, but this is something that Blaine and I want for ourselves.”

Mike nodded. “I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks,” Kurt said with a smile.

“So, when’s the big day?”

Kurt chuckled. “Um, Thursday.” Mike laughed and Kurt said, “Before you say anything, it started out as a joke, but we decided it would be perfect because of the long weekend.”

“No. It’s great. You don’t even have to take extra time off work.”

“That’s what I said,” Kurt laughed.

Mike stood and pulled Kurt into his arms. “I’m so glad things turned out the way they did. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“I feel the same.” Kurt smiled and pecked Mike softly on the lips. “I love you, Mike.”

“I love you, too, Kurt.” Mike pulled away and smiled. “I should finish up. We’ll be leaving soon.” Kurt frowned. “You know how I am. I _always_ wait until the last minute.”

Kurt shook his head. “Even for your honeymoon?”

“Especially for that. When we get back, we’re going to be moving into the new place.” Kurt nodded. “I just wanted to make sure you knew that.”

“Yeah. And you’re sure that you guys are okay with me keeping this place?”

Mike smiled. “Absolutely. You love it here. And just between you and me, Tina hates it.”

Kurt snorted out a laugh. “After all the times the two of you practically kicked me out?”

With a shrug, Mike said, “Yeah, well, you know.”


	12. Chapter 12

Kurt grinned as his father pulled him into a hug and congratulated him. “Thanks,” he chuckled.

Burt did the same with Blaine and said, “Welcome to the family. Officially, that is.” He chuckled and said, “How about a celebratory brunch?”

“Sounds great,” Blaine said, smiling at Kurt. “What do you say, Husband?”

“Sounds wonderful, Husband.”

Cooper rolled his eyes. “Is this going to last all day?”

Kurt pretended to think for a moment before shaking his head. “Sorry, Coop, I’d say it’s going to last at least until we die.” He and Blaine giggled and shared a sweet kiss. “Let’s go. I know this great place not too far from our apartment. I mean my apartment. No, I guess it is ours, now. Until the lease is up in a few months, anyway.”

As they walked toward the car, Blaine kept lifting his hand and admiring the ring on his finger. “I just can’t believe this is real,” he said when Kurt gave him a knowing look. “I think it’s going to take a while to get used to it all.”

Kurt nodded and then turned to ask, “Is it that way for everybody? You get married and it’s all new and exciting, but hard to believe?”

Angela nodded and smiled at her husband. “We were together for a long time before we got married and it still took a while to get used to being married. I’m not talking about all the adjustments that come with it, but just _knowing_ that you’re married.”

William agreed. “I think for almost the first year we were married, I’d slip up and say girlfriend instead of wife. Or I’d suddenly realize that when I made a decision, it wasn’t just me that was affected anymore.”

“What about you, Dad?” Kurt asked.

Burt let out a soft sigh. “Everything happened so fast with your mom and me. We hardly even knew each other and the next thing you know, we were married. So yeah...it was a transition. But we figured it out together. We’d go out for dinner and, out of habit, I’d head toward her parents’ house to drop her off. About halfway there I’d realize what I was doing and we’d both laugh it off on the way home. None of that was half as crazy as when you came along, though, kiddo.”

“The transition to parenthood,” William laughed. “Wait as long as you can,” he advised. “Although, the two of you won’t have to worry about an accidental pregnancy.”

“I wasn’t an accident,” Cooper and Blaine both blurted at the same time.

Kurt reached over to pat Blaine’s knee and said, “Of course not. Someone as amazing as the great Cooper Anderson could never be an accident.” He caught Blaine’s eye briefly before turning his attention back to the road and added, “And all parents plan their children ten years apart.”

“You’re fired. I want a new husband,” Blaine pouted.

“So soon? We haven’t even gotten to the honeymoon yet,” Kurt teased.

Angela sat forward a bit and rubbed her son’s shoulder. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ve told you before that you weren’t an accident.” She turned and smiled at Cooper. “Neither of you were.”

The rest of the ride was quiet. When they got to the restaurant, Kurt parked the car and everyone piled out, heading inside. Kurt stopped Blaine. “I’m sorry if you’re upset.”

Blaine shrugged. “Not really. Just having a little fun.” He pulled Kurt into his arms and kissed him softly. “In case I haven’t said it enough today, I love you.”

“You can never say it too much, so I’ll take it. I love you, too.” Kurt smiled and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Guess what?” Blaine raised an eyebrow in question. “We’re married.”

Blaine chuckled. “Hard to believe, isn’t it?” Kurt nodded and leaned in for another kiss. It was interrupted by Cooper clearing his throat.

“Hey, guys. I know you’re newlyweds and all, but I thought you could at least make it through brunch before getting to the honeymoon.”

Kurt blushed and pulled away from Blaine. “We better get inside, Husband.”

“I agree, Husband.” Cooper groaned, causing Blaine and Kurt to laugh. They headed inside and took their seats. Blaine scooted his chair closer to Kurt and Kurt took Blaine’s hand, turning his head and smiling. Blaine returned the smile and leaned closer, kissing Kurt softly. “I love you,” he murmured.

Kurt closed his eyes and leaned his head against Blaine’s, overwhelmed with emotion. He took a shaky breath and opened his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, shaking his head and laughing at himself. He lifted Blaine’s hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss on the knuckles before turning to face everyone else and saying, “Excuse me for just a moment, please.”

Hurrying into the restroom, Kurt grabbed a tissue from a box near the sink. He dabbed at his eyes and leaned back against the counter. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath before letting it out slowly.

There was a soft knock and Burt poked his head inside. “Mind if I come in?”

Kurt shrugged. “It’s a public restroom and it has more than one stall.”

Walking in and leaning against one of the stalls, Burt said, “That’s not what I came back here for and you know it.” Kurt looked away and nodded. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. Peachy,” Kurt said flatly.

Burt frowned. “Don’t tell me you’re suddenly having second thoughts.”

Kurt looked up quickly and shook his head. “Not at all. It’s just a little overwhelming. The love that I feel for him. I thought that what I had with Mike was powerful, but this...it’s a whole new level and I never imagined...” He trailed off, turning away from his father and dabbing at his eyes again. “I just didn’t want to cry in front of everyone,” he muttered.

The door opened and Blaine walked in. Kurt turned and Blaine held his arms out to him. Kurt practically threw himself into Blaine’s arms and muttered an apology. “Shh. Don’t worry about it. I get it.” Pulling back, he held up a bag and smiled. “I thought you could use this.”

Kurt laughed and took the bag before turning to his father. “Do you see how wonderful he is? My husband, the most amazing man on earth.” He smiled at Blaine and said, “Thank you. I’ll be out in a minute.” Blaine returned the smile and nodded before leaving. “You can go, too, Dad. I’ll be fine.”

Burt watched as Kurt opened the bag and pulled out several different bottles and tubes before turning on the faucet. Kurt gave him a pointed look and he shrugged. “I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’m fine. I just need to make it less obvious that I’ve been crying so people won’t ask questions. I’m sure Blaine is taking care of his family just like he took care of me.” Kurt’s voice hitched and he frowned at his father. “Go before you get me going again and I have to start all over.”

Burt chuckled and nodded. “Whatever you need, son. I mean it.”

Kurt bit his cheek to keep the tears from returning and nodded, shooing his father out. When he made his way back to the table, everyone seemed to be in a good mood, laughing and having a good time. Blaine looked up with a smile and held a hand out. Kurt took it and brought the hand to his lips, placing a soft kiss on the knuckles. “Thank you,” he said softly.

“You’re welcome. Feeling better?” Kurt nodded. “Good.”

The waitress stopped by and everyone ordered. As they waited for their food, William smiled as he said, “So, we decided that a little wedding gift was in order.”

“Only one?” Blaine joked.

With a chuckle, William said, “It’s kind of a big one, so we all contributed.”

“We know that your lease is ending soon, so we want to help you out to get a new place,” Burt told them. When Kurt started to protest, Burt said, “It’s not like we’ve got a place picked out for you or anything. We just have the money ready and waiting when you’re ready.”

“I...wow. I don’t even know what to say,” Kurt said softly.

Cooper smirked and said, “Thank you would be nice.”

Kurt laughed and nodded. “Yes. Definitely. Thank you. All of you. This day is just full of surprises.”

“Don’t tell me you’re pregnant,” Cooper joked, causing everyone to laugh.

“It _would_ explain the uncontrollable emotions,” Kurt laughed.

Blaine squeezed Kurt’s hand and said, “I know you hate that you wear your heart on your sleeve, but it’s part of what I love about you.” Kurt smiled and blushed, giving Blaine a sweet kiss.


	13. Chapter 13

“I love the city, but I think...I think I want a house. Outside the city, but not too far. That way when we’re ready to start a family, we don’t have to move again.”

Blaine nodded. “And it would definitely be cheaper than any decent part of the city where we would approve of living.”

Kurt smiled and nodded. “I’m not saying I want babies right this second or anything, but I would like to have a family someday.”

“Me too. Maybe in a few years. Give ourselves some time to get settled before we launch into the chaos of parenthood.”

“Definitely,” Kurt agreed with a chuckle. He let out a soft sigh. “I still can’t believe they’re giving us that much money.” He stopped talking and grinned when he saw his best friend. “Welcome home,” he said, pulling Mike and then Tina into a hug. “How was the honeymoon?”

Mike chuckled. “Not bad. How was yours?”

Kurt gave him a look and said, “That’s not a fair question. We didn’t go anywhere.”

“A lot of people do staycation honeymoons,” Mike said with a shrug.

Blaine laughed and said, “Don’t let him fool you. We’re going to have a real honeymoon once all my grades are turned in and I’m cleared for summer vacation.” He pulled Tina into his arms and said, “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too, Blainey Days,” Tina said with a chuckle.

Blaine lowered his voice and asked, “Any special news to share?”

Tina laughed loudly. “Oh, god, no. We don’t want kids for a while. Maybe not at all. Besides, we were only gone a couple of weeks. How would I even know yet?”

Blaine grinned and whispered, “ _We_ have news.”

Mike raised an eyebrow at Kurt. “A little early for babies, isn’t it?”

Kurt laughed. “Yes. Just a little. No, we’re going to start looking for a house outside the city.”

“How are you going to do that?” Mike asked with wide eyes.

Kurt smiled. “My dad loves me and Blaine’s parents are loaded,” he laughed. “Our wedding gift from our families. They knew the lease was ending and wanted to help us out.” He shrugged. “Instead of getting an apartment and then having to move when we decide to have kids, why not do the whole white picket fence experience now?”

“That’s great. But how are we going to hang out?”

“We’ll figure it out,” Kurt promised. “It’s not like we’re moving tomorrow. Trust me, sweetheart. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

Mike smiled warmly and said, “Well, just so you know, I’m happy to be stuck with you.”

Blaine pulled Kurt closer and smiled. “As long as you understand that we’re a package deal and that you’re stuck with both of us.”

“I couldn’t possibly imagine it any other way.”

With a smile, Kurt said, “Good. Because I love you, Michael Chang.”

Mike nodded. “I love you, too, Kurt Hummel. Or is it Anderson, now? Hummel-Anderson?”

Kurt chuckled. “No. We kept our own last names.”

“Must be nice to be able to tell someone you love them and not have it taken the wrong way by your _wife_ ,” Tina said to Blaine.

Blaine nodded. “Or husband. Hey, T. Have I told you lately that I love you?”

“No, Blainey Days. You haven’t.”

“Well, I do.”

Tina smiled and kissed Blaine’s cheek. “I love you, too, boo.” Looping her arm through Blaine’s, she said, “I’m glad I get to keep you even though we’re both married.”

Blaine sent a wink Mike’s way as he said, “I couldn’t possibly imagine it any other way.”

Kurt shoved Blaine playfully. “Play nice.”

Mike laughed. “God, I can’t believe you’re married. What am I saying? I can’t believe _I’m_ married. I didn’t think I ever wanted to be married. And I know it’s only been two weeks, but I’ve never been happier.”

With a nod, Kurt said, “I know what you mean. Eight days in and I can’t imagine life any other way.”

“Oh, has it been eight days already?” Blaine joked.

“Yes. And fewer than that until I become a widower if you keep it up.” Kurt kissed the tip of Blaine’s nose when he frowned at Kurt’s comment. “I love you,” he said softly. “Besides, I’d never make it in prison.” He let out a sigh as the hostess approached them. “Finally,” he said under his breath.

Blaine chuckled and took Kurt’s hand. “We haven’t been here that long.”

Kurt leaned close to Blaine’s ear and murmured, “Long enough I was considering having _you_ for lunch.”

A shiver went up Blaine’s spine and he turned to his husband. “You can’t just say things like that, Kurt. Especially not in public,” he hissed.

The hostess raised an eyebrow and Mike laughed. “You’ll have to excuse them. They’re newlyweds.”

“Congratulations,” the hostess said dryly. “Your waiter will be right out to get your order.”

When she was gone, Mike asked, “Any idea where you’re going to look? For the house, I mean.”

Kurt shook his head. “No clue. We hadn’t even seriously considered it until about twenty minutes ago. The lease isn’t up for a couple of months, so we have a little bit of time.”

“And we wouldn’t mind having a little help. I mean, if you guys are interested.”

“Are you kidding? Of course we would love to help,” Tina gushed. “We can help you find a fixer-upper and do all the work and it’ll be great.”

Blaine laughed and shook his head. “I don’t think that’s what we want to do. That’ll take way more time than we have.”

“But it’ll be cheaper.”

Kurt shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. We’ll start by looking at houses that fit into our budget that are ready to move in. I know you love all the renovation shows, Tina, but we don’t have the time for that. And frankly, I don’t want to build my own house.”

Tina rolled her eyes. “Fine. But we could have made an awesome house for you.”

Kurt laughed. “I think we’ll get over it.” He looked at Mike. “Maybe you guys will find something you like in the process. We could all live outside the city.”

“Nah. I’m not made for suburban life. The commute alone would kill me.”

“And we’d end up having to hire someone to keep it clean. Lord knows the kind of messes we’d end up with if we had that much space. It’s hard enough keeping up with a two bedroom apartment.”

Kurt frowned. “I didn’t raise you to be a slob.”

Mike laughed. “No, but it’s nice to be a little lax about things sometimes and Tina doesn’t get all worked up about it like you do.”

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting a clean home.”

“No, but there’s clean and then there’s you.”

Blaine interrupted before an argument could start. “Which is perfect because I’m the same way. Neat and orderly is the way to go.”

Tina smiled. “I’m so glad that we ended up here. If the two of you hadn’t split, you’d be miserable. Maybe not now, but eventually. But this...” she said, taking Mike’s hand. “This is perfect. The two of us and the two of you. And we’re still best friends.”

Kurt nodded and looked around the table with a smile. “Forever.”

“Forever,” everyone agreed.


End file.
